A Study of John 5:31–40
“If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
John 5:31-40 ESV
Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:
-Bear Witness: “μαρτυρῶ”, “martyrō”; verb, present, active, subjunctive, first person, singular — testify, bear witness, to not keep back testimony.
-Testimony: “μαρτυρία”, “martyria”; noun, nominative, singular, feminine — what one testifies, testimony, witness; in a predominantly dogmatic sense respecting matters relating to the truth of Christianity: of the testimony establishing the Messiahship and the divinity of Jesus.
-John: “Ἰωάννην”, “Iōannēn”; noun, accusative, singular, masculine | proper name — John = “Jehovah is a gracious giver”; John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of Christ. By order of Herod Antipas he was cast into prison and afterwards beheaded.
-Burning: “καιόμενος”, “kaiomenos”; verb, present, passive, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | attributive participle — to burn, consume with fire; a light showing the right way.
-Shining: “φαίνων”, “phainōn”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | attributive participle — to shine, shed light.
-Lamp: “λύχνος”, “lychnos”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | predicate nominative — in John 5:35: to the brightness of a lamp that cheers the beholders a teacher is compared, whom even those rejoiced in who were unwilling to comply with his demands.
-The Father: “ὁ πατὴρ”, “patēr”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | subject of the dependent clause — God is called the Father: of all rational and intelligent beings, whether angels or men, because he is their creator, preserver, guardian and protector; the Father of Jesus Christ, as one whom God has united to himself in the closest bond of love and intimacy, made acquainted with his purposes, appointed to explain and carry out among men the plan of salvation, and made to share also in his own divine nature; of Christians, as those who through Christ have been exalted to a specially close and intimate relationship with God, and who no longer dread him as a stern judge of sinners, but revere him as their reconciled and loving Father.
-Form: “εἶδος”, “eidos”; noun, accusative, singular, neuter | direct object of the dependent clause — the external appearance, form, figure, shape.
-Word: “λόγον”, “logon”; noun, accusative, singular, masculine | direct object — instruction, message; In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world’s life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man’s salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.
-Abiding: “μένοντα”, “menonta”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, accusative, masculine | participle — stay, remain, reside; not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present.
-Search: “Ἐραυνᾶτε”, “Eraunate”; verb, present, active, indicative, second person, plural | finite verb — search, examine, investigate.
-Scriptures: “γραφάς”, “graphas”; noun, accusative, plural, feminine | direct object — scripture, writing; the holy scripture (of the O. T.), — and used to denote either the book itself, or its contents.
-Refuse: “οὐ θέλετε”, “ou thelete”; verb, present, active, indicative, second person, plural | finite verb — (ou = not) (thelete = wish, desire, to will).
-To Come: “ἐλθεῖν”, “elthein”; verb, aorist, active, infinitive | complementary infinitive — to come; to commit oneself to the instruction of Jesus and enter into fellowship with him.
Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):
In this passage Jesus says He is not the only one to testify that He is the Son of God who has authority and power to give life and execute judgment on the entire world. He says that John the Baptist also testified of Him. His miraculous works testify of Him. God the Father testifies of Him, and the Scriptures testify of Him as well. Jesus also says the reason for this five-fold testimony is so that we who hear may be saved. He also pointed out that the Old Testament Scriptures that the Jewish leaders knew so well do not themselves give eternal life, but rather, they testify of Him; the One who gives eternal life. But even though the Jewish leaders had studied the Scriptures so intensely, they refused to believe in Jesus and receive life.
Implication (what does this mean to us):
In this passage Jesus is explaining to the Jewish religious leaders that He is the Son of God; God incarnate, and as such He has the authority to execute judgment on the earth and to give life. In this portion of His discourse, Jesus explains the five-fold testimony that confirms who He is. This five-fold testimony comes from: Jesus, John the Baptist, God the Father, the miraculous works of Jesus, and the Old Testament Scriptures.
In the verses previous to this passage Jesus explained that everything He does is in perfect unity with the will of God the Father. Here, in verses 31–32, Jesus says that if He was the only one to say that He is the Son of God, then His testimony is not true. He then says there is another person who has borne witness about Him and their testimony is true, and He is referring to God the Father. In saying this Jesus is appealing to Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 where Yahweh established that the evidence of at least 2 or 3 witnesses is required to prove a person’s innocence or guilt in a court of law. Jesus specifically says here that if He was only one to say He is God incarnate, or that He spoke with the authority of God, then He should not be believed. But because there are multiple witnesses to who He is, He should be believed. This is something that distinguishes Jesus from the many false prophets and messiahs that have arisen claiming to be sent from God. For example, Muhammad, the founder of Islam, claimed to have visions from God, but no one else was able to testify to this. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed to have received divine revelation, but again, no one else witnessed what he claimed to have seen and heard. But Jesus here is saying that He is not the only one to testify to the fact that He has been sent by God the Father. There are multiple witnesses that testify to this fact, and He begins to list these witnesses by starting with God the Father.
Next, in verse 33, Jesus presents the next witness who testified of who He is: John the Baptist (J the B). And we read of J the B’s testimony in John 1:19–37. J the B publicly bore witness to who Jesus is to the religious leaders and to the crowds who came to hear him teach as he called the people to repent and prepare for the coming of God’s kingdom. While Jesus wants to provide the listeners with multiple, corroborating accounts, in verse 34, He is careful to clarify that His identity is not dependent only on human testimony. Rather, He is also including the human testimony of J the B to provide even more evidence of who He is so that those who hear have an abundance of evidence to examine so that they “may be saved.” Jesus desperately wants to save people. He does not declare coming judgment with glee. He declares it as a loving warning, and provides many witnesses and evidence of who He is because He wants people to believe in Him and receive His freely offered gift of eternal life. He also is saying this to communicate that He does not derive an understanding of His identity from the human witness of the J the B. He knows who He is because everything He thinks, says and does is in perfect unity with God the Father. So, how could human testimony supersede or add to that Divine testimony? Nevertheless, human testimony is provided for our benefit, so that we “may be saved.”
In verse 35 Jesus describes J the B as “a burning and shining lamp.” Many commentators believe this is likely a reference to Psalm 132:17 which says, “There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.” This is similar to how Jesus describes J the B in Matthew 11:7–15, and it is possible this description is included here by John the apostle to correct the people in his day who elevated J the B and his teaching to a higher level than is proper. J the B is the lamp, not the Light. He was sent to bear witness to the true Light (John 1:6–8). A lamp cannot light itself or provide fuel in itself for the flame to burn and emit light. Although J the B is described as a “burning and shining lamp,” he was merely a dim reflection of Jesus, the true Light.
This description of J the B is instructive for all followers of Jesus in how we should endeavor to represent Him to the people around us. Consider the properties of a lamp. A lamp cannot light itself; it needs to be lit. We cannot bring ourselves out of darkness and into light, we need Jesus. Also, lamps give off heat and warmth; they are not cold and lifeless. So, like J the B, our proclamation of the gospel in word and deed must not be a cold and lifeless intellectual exercise. It must be motivated and fueled by the warmth and love of the Holy Spirit in us. Lamps are also used to light the way and guide people in dark places. So, our message must be full of the truth in order to dispel the darkness of false ideas and beliefs that shroud so many in this dark world.
If our message is not truthful, then it is not loving. J the B spoke with boldness and truth. We must do the same. Lamps also eventually burn out and fade. We must also understand our finitude. We are finite creatures. We need the constant flow of God’s Spirit in us to do the work He has called us to. We must rely on Him daily to sustain and fuel us. We are not the Light. We are the lamps that bear small, yet resplendent flickers of the true Light who dwells within us: the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus also says they “were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.” The New Testament and the Jewish historian Josephus record that the ministry of J the B stirred up a lot of excitement among the people about the coming, and long awaited Messiah. They thought the coming Messiah would deliver them out from under the rule of the Roman Empire and establish an earthly kingdom. However, when they learned he and Jesus were speaking of a spiritual deliverance, their rejoicing waned considerably. In rejecting Jesus, the true Light, they rejected both the lamp who pointed to Him, and the Light itself (Himself). Their belief and joy can be rightly compared to the shallow belief of those mentioned in John 2:23–25 who Jesus would not “entrust Himself to.”
After referring to the testimony of John the Baptist, Jesus refers to another testimony that is “greater than that of John” in verse 36. This greater testimony is the miraculous works performed by Jesus. This entire discourse from Jesus that spans from verse 19 to verse 47 all began because the Jewish religious leaders were angry that Jesus healed a man who had been disabled for 38 years on the Sabbath, and told the man to pick up his bedroll and walk. This did not violate the true Sabbath law established by Yahweh (Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh), but rather, it violated the many additional man made traditions established by the Jewish religious leaders. Interestingly though, Jesus does not bring this fact up in this discussion to justify what He did. Instead He makes the case that He has not violated the Sabbath law because He is “equal with God,” (verse 18). He has been sent by God the Father, and He is perfectly unified with the Father. In other words, He is God. The miraculous nature of the many works performed by Him up to this point, and the beautiful display of mercy and compassion revealed through them, provide yet further testimony to the fact that He is God the Son, and everything He does is precisely what God the Father has given Him to do.
We should again compare this to the many other false prophets and messiahs that have arisen. Have any of them done anything like the many and varied miraculous works of Jesus that have been attested to by many witnesses? No. There is no one like Jesus. But it is not only these that testify to who Jesus is. There is more.
After implicitly referencing the witness of God the Father in verse 32, Jesus directly speaks of God the Father’s testimony in verse 37 where He says, “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.” The many miraculous works and teachings of Jesus provide even more proof that all He does is empowered and guided by God the Father. This is what Nicodemus acknowledged in John 3:2 when He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” But even more than that, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, many people witnessed God the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove and heard the voice of God the Father from Heaven say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22).
Although the voice of God the Father was heard by some at the baptism of Jesus, the people had never heard “His voice” or seen “His form”. As D.A. Carson puts it, this is a “damning indictment.” In the book of Exodus the people heard the words of God through Moses, and at this time they still greatly respected Moses and accepted the teachings of Yahweh given through Moses as God’s Word. But now, they do not hear or recognize God’s voice in the words of Jesus, therefore they are not true followers of Moses. This is a point Jesus will make in verses 45–47 of this same chapter when He says that Moses himself will be their very accuser. The point is, if they truly believed the words of Moses, they would believe the words of Jesus, because both spoke for God. Although of course, Jesus is God in the flesh, and Moses was merely a human like any of us. This same logic is applied in the statement that they have never seen God’s form either. Because Jesus is God manifest in the flesh and they do not recognize or acknowledge Him as God, they are not true Israelites or followers of Moses as so many of them claimed to be.
Lastly for verse 38, they also do not have God’s Word “abiding” in them. The written Word of God that the leaders studied so intensely, and that the people learned from them, had not truly taken root in their hearts. If it had, they would have recognized Jesus as the “Word who became flesh” and dwelt among them (John 1:14). Their knowledge of God’s Word made it into their heads but not their hearts. Because of all this, Jesus says to them in verse 38, “…you do not believe the one whom he has sent.”
Lastly for this passage, in verse 39 Jesus explicitly states that the Scriptures that the religious leaders so diligently searched, thinking that in them they would find eternal life, in fact bore witness about Jesus Himself; the source of eternal life. Jesus is of course referring to the Old Testament Scriptures again here. And because of archaeological discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls, we know for a fact that they had the complete Old Testament canon at this time, and also that the OT we have today is the same one they had. There is no doubt that the Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ time knew the Scriptures well, and Jesus acknowledges this by saying “You search the Scriptures…”, with the word used for “search” describing a diligent and studious examination. Their study of God’s Word was a good thing, but Jesus points out that their problem is they thought their diligent study and religious observance of the law would earn them favor with God, and therefore also earn them eternal life.
And it is not only Jesus who identified this as their true motivations in their study of the Scriptures. D.A. Carson points out that the ancient Jewish scholar Hillel wrote, “that the more study of the law, the more life, and that if a man gains for himself words of the law he has gained for himself life in the world to come (Pirke Aboth 2:7).” But Jesus tells them that studying the Scriptures will not itself earn favor with God or give eternal life. He tells them the Scriptures testify about Him, and it is He who gives eternal life. This is a point Jesus makes repeatedly throughout the 4 gospels (Matt. 5:17, 11:13). In Romans 7:10 Paul communicates this same point that the law has no power to give life, only to rightly proclaim just punishment for breaking it. We have all broken God’s law, so what good can it do us now in terms of saving us from the death we rightly deserve? The Law righteously condemns us. The Law is good but it can’t save us. We need a Savior. We need Jesus. This is why Jesus came. He came to fulfill the Law through perfect obedience, and also to fulfill the Law’s righteous requirement of death for breaking it, by dying in our place even though He is the only human to ever live who didn’t deserve to die.
Therefore, because the Jews Jesus spoke to refused to come to Him and receive life (verse 40), it can be rightly stated that they did not truly understand or believe the Scriptures. If they had, they would have understood that the Law justly condemned them, and they needed the Messiah of whom the Scriptures so often prophesied. Religious observances, good deeds or right living cannot save us, and they do not keep us saved when we do come to faith in Jesus. It is only by grace through faith in Jesus that we can be saved. Right living, and good deeds then flow from Him and through us once we have been saved (Ephesians 2:8–10).
Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):
This passage should cause us to realize there is an abundance of evidence that Jesus is who He says He is: the Son of God through whom all can be saved and receive eternal life. We should also take note of the Jewish religious leaders’ error. Their study of the Scriptures and desire to obey Yahweh was good and right. But their motivations were wrong. They thought they could earn God’s favor through religious observance and study of the Torah, but good works cannot save anyone. Whatever good we might do will not erase the wrong we have done. Our actions have eternal consequences and therefore our sin brings eternal punishment. But praise be to God for sending His Son Jesus to live the perfect life we never could, and to die the death we deserve so that we can be saved. Jesus has paid our infinite debt, and now all we have to do is confess our sin, repent, and believe in Jesus as our one and only Lord and Savior and we will be saved (Romans 10:9–10).
Self Reflection:
What is significant about the fact that so many different witnesses testify to who Jesus is; the son of God? Has there ever been anyone else like Him in human history?
What are my motivations for studying the Scriptures and living rightly before God? Is it because I want to earn His favor, or is it because of my sincere love for Him?
How can I be yet another faithful witness of who Jesus is in the time and place He has sent me into to live and glorify Him in?
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